Color management today is a recognized process for the achievement of a consistent color reproduction on the most different input and output devices. The corresponding algorithms and processes are well known and corresponding products are on the market (for example, the software “Profile Maker” of the company Gretag-Macbeth AG). Highest demands are posed on color management systems. Especially for the output of reference prints for evaluation by the client (so called proofs)
However, the processes and procedures used today in the concrete implementation of a color management workflow have significant points of weakness. The application of color management is complex. Users are often only insufficiently supported. The potential sources of error are enormous. Today, the correct application of the workflows is/can be only visually evaluated. In order to simplify the processes, future color management systems must become more intelligent. In particular, digital printers must become self-calibrating in order to unburden the user. For this, it is necessary to integrate color measurement devices directly into the digital printer. Patent applications have been filed lately by different companies (see for example US-A 2002/0080373, US-A 2002/162470, DE-A 19844495, U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,327, DE-A 19722073) which essentially have the goal to automate the capture of the measurement data which are required in the color management workflow for the generation of the color profiles (ICC Profile) by integration of the color measurement device into digital printers, as well as to achieve a consistent color output between devices of different manufacturers.
An essential impediment to the broad use of color management solutions lies in the complexity and the thereby induced error susceptibility of the processes. Although the systems described in the mentioned patent applications contribute to the simplification/optimization of the color management workflow, they do not cover in any way aspects important for the reduction of system complexity. Especially, the systems described in the mentioned patent applications do in no way cover the aspect of profile selection, profile verification, efficient dealing with the wet-dry-problem, optimization of the amount of color used, as well as control of the output result in general and the aspect of retraceability.